WITHIN five days of joint military and police assault against a most pernicious and self-styled Islamist fundamentalist group that unleashed mayhem in some states in the north, over 750 people have reportedly been killed. Police stations, prisons and government buildings have been destroyed along with churches and mosques. Hundreds of hapless women and children have been rendered homeless. This is the fallout of a security offensive to quell the religious violence that broke out on Sunday July 26 in Bauchi and quickly spread to Maiduguri, Yobe, Bauchi and Kano. This again is a clear case of failure of intelligence. The security agencies in the states failed to nip the crisis in the bud.
Nigeria has gone through this road of infamy before. Since 1983, when the Maitasine religious crisis wrecked havoc in Maiduguri, there have been several sectarian uprisings in different parts of the country. More than 10,000 people have lost their lives and property in the process.
But in spite of the recurrent incidents, no single perpetrator of the heinous crime has been put on trial and punished. This negligence on the part of the authorities has emboldened all sorts of religious fundamentalists who rise at will to visit mayhem on innocent people. The latest uprising underscores the growing state of anarchy in Nigeria. Many people are dissatisfied with the woeful state of affairs in the country, particularly the inefficiency of the state security agencies. A fortnight ago, the Atlas Cove petroleum supply station in Lagos was attacked and destroyed by Niger Delta militants after the security agencies failed to act on a warning alert.
With an army of unemployed, uneducated, frustrated and poverty-stricken youths all over Nigeria, who are easily manipulated by the powers-that-be in religious and political circles, it is easy to recruit thousands of mindless individuals into any clandestine activity. Sadly enough, government is doing nothing to redress a potential malady that could rock the very roots of social cohesion in the country.
In the present case, it took the overnight assault on a Bauchi police station by Boko Haram insurgents for government to act whereas security agencies claim to have been aware of the activities of the religious sect and its leaders long before now. Their failure to act is most unfortunate. The present crisis calls for greater vigilance on the part of the security agencies. Hopefully, certain obvious lessons are being learnt.
Boko Haram, led by Mohammed Yusuf, has been in existence in the North since 2004. From a sprawling headquarters in Maiduguri which stretches over four kilometres, the sect preached a strange brand of Islamic doctrine that is opposed to western education and values. Its name "Boko Haram" means, "Western education is forbidden".
President Yar'Adua in a statement said security agents have been watching the sect for months when it began gathering fighters from neighbouring states to its headquarters in Maiduguri in preparation for a "holy war". The sect wants the Sharia law introduced throughout Nigeria. Coincidentally, 12 states in the north have already adopted Sharia law since 1999.
The incident once again raises fundamental questions about national security, governance and Nigeria's corporate existence. The crisis was avoidable if government had taken pre-emptive steps to prevent it. If the security agents were actually monitoring the sect as indicated by the President, why did they not prevent the organised attack? Although a combined team of policemen and soldiers was able to contain the crisis after four days, they ought to have stopped it from spreading to other states. Thousands of Southerners have deserted the North and returned to their home states out of fear. All this has put a strain on national unity.
The police handling of the operation against members of the Boko Haram sect has raised issues of human rights. The capture and extra-judicial killing of the sect leader, Mohammed Yusuf, his deputy and the suspected financier of the group, Buji Foi, has brought much criticism in the direction of the police. The police were rather reckless, shooting at will. Certainly, in upholding the law, the police must not be seen engaging in jungle tactics. The killing of Yusuf and others needs to be investigated. Was the police trying to hide the evidence? Whatever information that could have been extracted from the sect leaders through interrogation and investigation has now been lost. Due process should have been followed.
President Yar'Adua didn't see anything wrong in jetting out of the country in the wake of the crisis. Last month, the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, cut short his participation at the G-8 meeting in Italy to return to his country after ethnic violence broke out.
Following the 1983 Maitasine crisis, the former Supreme Court Justice, Mr. Justice Anthony Aniagolu's panel made far-reaching recommendations on how to contain future sectarian violence in the country but nothing has been done in this regard. There is need to work out proactive measures to engage Nigerian youths in productive ventures. Government should focus on the provision of social services and jobs. Nothing can fuel violence more than the growing population of angry youths without gainful employment. The onus is on the Federal Government and all the Northern states to collaborate to chart a new course. Nigeria is a multi-religious state; no one should be allowed to impose one religion on the entire population.
